The Marlins are known to be shopping second baseman Dan Uggla; the Braves, Cardinals, Nationals, Blue Jays, and Tigers are reported suitors. There is some debate as to the Marlins' sense of urgency in making a deal, though MLB.com's Joe Frisaro joins ESPN's Buster Olney in the "aggressively shopping him" camp (Twitter link). Here's the latest on the slugger…
- The Marlins and Braves are talking about a deal that would send Uggla to Atlanta for Omar Infante and Michael Dunn, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Infante, a super-utility man, hit .321/.359/.416 in 506 plate appearances for the Braves this year. He's under contract through 2011. Dunn, 26 in May, is a hard-throwing left-handed reliever who came to Atlanta from the Yankees a year ago in the Javier Vazquez deal. Dunn racked up big-time strikeout and walk numbers this year between Triple-A and the Majors.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution suggests Uggla could provide backup at third base as Chipper Jones recovers from August surgery to report a torn ACL in his knee. Another possibility: Uggla or Martin Prado could spend the season in left field if Jones is healthy. Would the Marlins be willing to deal within the division with the Braves or Nationals? Yes, one rival executive tells Rosenthal, "but the ask is very high."
Uggla’s bat in the line up would be much needed considering the lack of power we are craving for.I don’t care if he strikes out 140+ times, that’s normal for power hitters.
I don’t really think they would wanna trade within the division, though.
How do you think Willingham and Olsen got to Washington? Inter-division trade.
Yeah, yeah true.
The problem ensues with the likely contract extension he would receive, which would keep him with the team until he is 35. At that point, his fielding skills will be even worse with his bat deteriorating very quickly.
Well, hopefully he won’t start too early like McLouth done this year.And yes, I know he has time to recover from that horrible season, just saying…Hopefully Parrish will help him out .Just wondering but, if you were the Braves GM, who would you go after and what prospects/mlb ready pitchers/hitters would be in it?
B.J. Upton and Pat Burrell at this point. Defense is needed in center field and Burrell would provide a decent amount of power in left field. One of him or McLouth should be productive next season, with Joe Mather being a wildcard.
Trade wise, any minor leaguer aside from Teheran has to be available. The Braves could honestly make any trade they wish to make, it just depends on whether they would like to give up the prospects or not. The system is top-heavy right now with not many position players, but most teams like dealing for starting pitching prospects and the Braves have Minor, Beachy, Delgado, and Vizcaino, all who have a lot of value with J.J. Hoover and Carlos Perez not far behind.
I wouldn’t mind B.J. Upton, some people say he has Yunel Escobar written over him some, IDK.That doesn’t fit the Cox’s likes, but then again Freddy Gonzalez is our manager now so IDK.
I’m not too sold on Burrell but I have a feeling we’ll end up with him anyways.
id go after the other upton….justin.
Brandon Beachy/Christian Bethancourt/Stephen Marek?
Seems like a good deal.
For Uggla? No where even close, that is giving up WAY too much, IMO. Chris Masters + Christian Bethancourt gets it done I would think.
As a Braves fan I would do that deal in a minute. However, I don’t think the Marlins would even consider it.
2 good RH pitchers who turned in fantastic minors seasons and a great catching prospect? That fills all their except the one we’re going to create for them by acquiring Uggla.
The Marlins would be high off there a$$e$ to not do that deal.Lol
I think it’s fair. Good potential and not giving up too much. One of those rare win-win trades, it could be.
We’re talking about the Marlins, they of the multiple fire sales. Trading within the division more than likely won’t stop them from dumping salary.
I think if the Marlins trade uggla to the Braves the Marlins will probably get the best package of players because they are trading within the same divison. But I believe the Marlins should trade for players that are ready now and not for players who will be ready in two to three years.
I would love for the Braves to get Uggla. Something like Christian Bethancourt (catcher) and Arodys Vizcaino (pitcher) for Uggla. Or, the Braves could give up even more if the Marlins would give them a window to sign Uggla to a contract extension.
I don’t think they’d get that good of a package.
Do we really think that Uggla should be playing 3rd at any point? Maybe a change in position would help, (I highly doubt it) but his fielding is terrible! And that’s at 2nd base. Yes I want his offense, but can he play somewhere like LF? We have a 2nd basemen and a 3rd basemen. So where does he play? (Note: I’d love to have 30HRs on the team, and Uggla for that matter, just not sure where he’d fit)
Uggla played OF six years ago in the minor-leagues. His fielding percentage was .957 and his RF/9 was 1.10.
So, a Melky-esque outfielder in the minors?
Melky has a better arm.
Lol.. I don’t really have reply to that..
Seriously…Melky actually had the ability to throw the ball sideways, no one has talent like that.
Prado plays LF in winter ball. They could move Prado to LF. Wren said they would have to be very creative this offseason
Lest we forget the defensive horrors that this Braves team went through both towards the end of the season and in the playoffs. While his bat would be a welcome addition, the team would probably be the worst fielding one in the league. I just don’t think Uggla’s the answer.
The Braves finished fifth in runs this season. Defense was their biggest downfall in the regular season and post-season. It is something that should be addressed, and adding Uggla either hurts the infield defense — the Braves have a ton of ground ball pitchers on their staff — or hurts their outfield defense. Either way, his bat will help and his glove will hurt.
I would love to have Uggla in the line-up next year that’s like adding 25+ HR and 80+ RBI with one guy. I would be willing to trade C – C. Bethancourt and P – M. Minor or P – J.J. Hoover IDK if that would be enough but I don’t think we should give up to much more than that for a guy that might be leaving after a year
There is absolutely no way the Braves give up Mike Minor for Uggla. They MIGHT give up him for a Colby Rasmus but not Uggla.
Shelby Miller + Brian Anderson (catcher) …….. for Uggla.
Get it done Mo.
As a cardinals fan, HELLS NO
LOL. You are going to be disappointed if you think Uggla will get that type of return. Miller is one of the top prospects in all of the minors.
Marlins writer says the team wont “give him away”
so I’m guessing marlins will get a good return.
The problem is that teams aren’t going to break the bank for a one year rental, which he is at this point. Sure, he would most likely be open for an extension, but the teams trading for Uggla have the leverage in that situation. I don’t see the Marlins getting a great return for him.
Between the Type-A status and how desperate clubs are, I could see it getting done. If Marlins are asking for something more than the Nats are for Willingham… then a trade wont work out.
BTW, IMO: Willingham Asking Price [ for 1 year ] == Uggla > Willingham. Just means the asking price for Willingham is insane.
If the Braves were to make this trade would we have to hear Chip Caray and Joe Simpson yell “His name is DAN UGGLA”? Hopefully that isn’t in his current contract lol…
Lol, if we were facing the Marlins and Uggla hit a homer for us , I wonder if the Marlins Broadcasters would still say “His name is Dan Uggla”!
Haha, at this point they probably yell it out of habit… In the bathroom, in bed, waiting in line at the bank, etc. I already had an idea of why they do it, but here is something for others wondering… This is from Wikipedia: “Throughout his rookie season, due to the many mispronunciations of his last name, Marlins television announcers Rich Waltz and Tommy Hutton have exclaimed, “And his name…is DAN UGGLA!!”, when Uggla hit a home run. Waltz and Hutton continue to use this call for most of Uggla’s home runs.” Since he destroys the Braves, I have grown tired of this call lol…
I would hate to see the Braves give up any prospects of value for one year of Uggla. He turned down a reasonable extension offer from Florida, I don’t see how the Braves could afford to pay him more if they were to offer him an extension. Keep the prospects and go after a player who plays a position where we are in need. Left or center field.
I think that the Cubs should seriously look into this. Can he play 1st base? The Cubs have catching and pitching depth that they could move (Wellington Castillo, Cashner, etc). Uggla would be a cheaper option at 1st base then signing Dunn and if they could sign him to a long term contract, it might cheaper than what Dunn or Gonzalez would be looking for. The Cubs also don’t have a 2nd baseman that couldn’t be replaced in case they went a different direction for a 1st baseman.
Came here to post this. Perhaps Uggla’s crappy defense at 2B would get better? Marlins fans/sabermetricians, how is Uggla at digging out balls in the dirt? Is it simply his range that suggests that he’s a bad defender? Or is he error-prone as well?
Also, could we use Uggla at 3B and move Aramis over to 1B? Seems probable as well.
He actually makes a lot of web gem throws from his knees. His range isn’t going to blow you a way, but it’s decent. Most of his errors come on throwing errors, usually trying to turn a double play after hanley makes a horrible flip to second base.
I watch every single Marlin’s game and I have NEVER once gone home thinking “damn, Uggla blew the game for us on defense.”
I would have to think that Ramirez is probably a better defender than Uggla at this point and only 2 year older, so I could only see Uggla at 3B if Ramirez has some arm troubles (which he does seem to get hurt a lot). Of course if it is a matter of Uggla having to learn how to play 1B, then the Cubs might just consider to go with Colvin, who is left handed, younger, cheaper, and with similar power projections. It will be interesting to see the 2 or 3 good moves that Jim Hendry says that he needs to make this offseason. 1B is definitely a huge hole at this point!
I like Uggla a lot, but I don’t think he makes a lot of sense for the Cubs at this point. If the Cubs are interested in contending for a WS and not just the NL central, then they really need to focus on starting pitching, either developing or acquiring a front line ace.
Uggla’s 30 and unless the Cubs catch lightening in a bottle and a Archer, McNutt, Cashner develop quickly into that ace, then the likely scenario is Uggla will be on the back end of the contract before the cubs are competitive. Uggla’s the type of trade you make when your looking for that final piece not in rebuild mode.
If I’m trading prospects its going to be for a Greinke/Garza type player in their mid to late 20’s who will likely be at their prime in 2-3 years. Granted Greinke is not likely to happen and would take a lot more to get than Uggla.
I would tend to agree with you on this. I believe that if the Cubs are truly trying to build from within, then they should stay that route and add the pieces when they are ready to contend. It is just tough when you hear about the Cubs being the front runner for Adam Dunn and you are thinking “that doesn’t make sense with what they said before”. Truthfully, I would love to see Colvin at 1B and if that doesn’t work out and they are ready to contend, trade or sign a free agent at that point.
Nothing will disappoint me more than to see the Cubs overpay for Dunn. Especially considering Agon and Fielder will be available next year. Payroll $ should be set aside for when they hit free agency next year.
Correct me if I’m wrong please, I thought Chipper said he was going to retire. Or has he not made a decision yet?
Unfortunately, he said he wants to try to play next year. I love Chipper but he really needs to let it go and retire.
Unfortunate? As long as he keeps posting .400 or close to .400 OBP’s…he’s welcome to stay if you ask me. And I know he’s lost a step (and with his ACL he might lose more), but his glovework at 3B will be a sight for sore eyes after seeing the Prado/Infante/Conrad debacle.
Yes, unfortunate. Chipper used to be a great player. But he simply isn’t worth the 12 million or so he will make next year. The Braves could really use that money to sign a player that will be a lot more productive and who will actually be dependable. Chipper was out with a groin strain or an abdominal pull every other week last year. Now, coming off of that knee injury I can only imagine how much time he will miss.
As for his defense he was pretty bad too. The play where he got hurt was probably the best play he had made in several years. Conrad and Infante were brutal defensively but Prado was decent at 3B.
Braves can’t win w/o Chipper. He was on a great run before his injury and it proved that the Braves cannot win w/o him. Check the stats. I said before and I say it again, Chipper is what had Heyward do so well early in the season.
Nothing was “proved”. The Braves made the playoffs with him. The injuries to Prado and Jurrjens were what finished the Braves hopes.
Quit being homers. Chipper Jones is a shell of the player he used to be.
He has said he’ll be back next season.
Chipper said he might retire if his season was as bad as 2009. His season was close to it, but he refuses to go out on an injury. He wont retire until he is done playing. This is a good thing for the Braves.
well I think the club that ends up with him will end up re-signing him to a long term contract, especially now that they know how high they need to go. I honestly think he will end up being the Roy Halladay of this year. not to say Uggla is the greatest hitter of his generation like Halladay.
It’s all starting to add up to me now, haha.Teixeira for Neftali Feliz,Elvis Andrus,Matt Harrison,and Jarrod Saltalamacchia .Tex only stayed for 1 year.
NEXT TRADE
Adam Wainwright,Ray King,and Jason Marquis for JD Drew and Eli Marrero.AGAIN Drew only played 1 year.
I know John Schuerholz made them trades but I very much see this happening with Wren too.I’m not saying this is going to happen.It’s just a hint. 🙂
Neftali Feliz is the only piece that the Braves are missing from that deal, its not as bad as it seems
Agree so much. I hate hearing people always bring up the Tex deal.
people want to harp on this deal. Salty cant throw the ball back to the pitcher, he’s also two straight seasons of sub .300OBP/.700OPS. Matt Harrison has a career 5.39ERA 1.57WHIP. Andrus has a good glove, but there is zero chance that his .643OPS 75OPS+ would help the Braves right now. Just because there was a lot of players involved doesnt mean the Braves lost that deal. The Tex deal for Marek/Kotchman was far worse IMO
Yes. Although Wren did turnaround and get LaRoche for Kotchman who was extremely vital in keeping the Braves in the playoff hunt in 09.
We should have gotten more for Tex, but Kotch’s value was high at the time. Marek has done well for us and LaRoche was money. The Draft picks we lost were second round anyway, since Toronto took the Yankees 1st round picks.
You forgot to mention Andrus too.
Andrus is a 3-tool SS at best. Not saying I wouldn’t want to have him but CSG is right, Feliz has been the prize of that deal.
Oh, I don’t mind giving up guys like that but only for 1 year?I mean atleast resign a guy so it won’t be a waste of prospects.It’s questionable.
Yeah I understand. Believe me they tried. They offered him all they could – 8 years/140…not much else you can do.
Got any prove of that ?Just wondering.I haven’t heard anything about that.I’ve heard rumors it was like 7 yrs 105 mill the Braves offered but not 8 years/140 mill.
Yes sorry, the 8/140 was the Rangers. But I know the Braves tried hard to resign him.
My belief was that if the Braves got into the post-season, Tex would have stayed. Since the Braves were forced to trade him, he wanted to go to a winning team. I don’t know if negotiations actually happened, but a post-season berth with that pitching staff would have helped negotiations A LOT!
thats where it hurts. Braves always think they can get a guy for a home-town discount and rarely does that work anymore. The Braves offered Tex a decent deal, but it was nowhere close to what he got on the FA market. They should have kept him and gotten the two draft picks
Was for 2 post-season races though. 2007, we had a great chance to win but failed. In 2008, we had the best pre-season team (in my belief). We lost 3 of the best SP’s that year, 3 CL’s and the Natural himself started his decline.
.301SLG/.643OPS – I didnt forget him
thats a good point, sounds to me like no matter what happens the marlins win.
They are the one with the good player. The only way they can go wrong is to either: 1. trade him for a small package (which they wont do) or 2. Not trade him at all (Which only comes into play if they don’t have a chance next year, which they do, AND comes into play if they were offered and good package)
I will add though that FW would be wise to not make a deal for Uggla. Just doesn’t make sense on many levels, financially, position-wise, etc.
Um, isn’t Chipper retiring? Or did I miss the part about him pulling a Brett Favre and un-retiring?
How dare you. He never Favre’d it. Reporters stirred the R-word pot over the summer, but he slammed the door on talking about that until he got hurt, at which point he clearly stated that he was going to rehab and attempt to play 2011.
He Favre’d it. I’m a Braves fan, but he absolutely Favre’d it. Couldn’t keep himself from talking big, but in the end couldn’t walk away with grace. It’s just going to get worse from here.
Umm. No. Just no. I don’t even know what you are talking about when you say he couldn’t walk away with grace. He is attempting to rehab and live up to his contract.This would be the Chipper equivalent to “Favre’ing it”: “Oh I just can’t quit the game I love. Wait, nah, I’ll retire.” 6 months later and several weeks into spring training, “Wait no guys, I want to come back and play. Oh? You found a replacement for me? Fine, I will go play for the Phillies.” And the plot would go on…See how none of that stuff has happened? Chipper flat out said in AUGUST WHEN THE SEASON WAS STILL GOING ON that he intended on rehabbing and coming back to play in 2011. Favre is classless, Chipper is not.
Chipper has two years left on his contract and never said he was retiring. He said he would think about it if he didnt perform and thought he was finished. I think he believes he’s got something left. He did post a 1.304 OPS in August before his injury. Seemed like he was back to his old self
Throwing picks and texxxting chicks!
I heard somebody wondering if Uggla could switch to first. I don’t know if he could or not, but hypothetically that could POSSIBLY make him a target for the Cubs. So I have 2 questions:
1. Would they be better of just signing Dunn and not giving up any prospects?
2. If they wanted to trade for Uggla with the intention of him playing 1B, would Wellington Castillo be a good enough catching propsect for this trade? If you add a couple pitchers, is that a solid offer?
I don’t think Uggla is a good fit for the Cubs. He’s a rental player unless the Cubs want to shell out another huge contract that they would probably regret. And 1 year of Uggla doesn’t make sense anyway for the Cubs..doesn’t exactly seem like they are going places in 2011.
I can’t imagine Uggla, one of the most beloved and productive players in the short history of the franchise, being traded to a division rival. It would be a PR disaster as the Marlins try to sell season ticket packages to the new ballpark set to open in 2012.
trading a fan favourite is a disaster no matter what
I’m not sure if the Braves have the fire power to get this done not because of talent but because of the age of the guys we’d give up. Christian Bethancourt is our best catching prospect by far and he’s only 19. Catchers tend to develop slow so he won’t be ready any time soon. If the Marlins want an older catcher maybe that’s where we get boned because our catchers higher than that in the system are ok but there aren’t any future stars. That’s the only thing that deters me from thinking that a deal is feasible (spelling?). Positioning isn’t a problem, Prado can play left field. Argue with me all you want. And I’d rather have 30+ bombs than gold glove defense. Also I believe we could extend him. We’ve got money leaving payroll next year. McLouth, Gonzalez, KK and most likely Chipper will all be gone. So in short, the only thing that I believe hinders this deal is the age of the guys they are looking for
Defense is so undervalued today…the Braves cannot add any more weak defensive players. I don’t care how many home runs they hit. By the end of the year this season they were the worst defensive club in the majors.SF had very good defense. Philly had very good defense. Cincy had good defense. You must have good defense to go deep.
Uggla’s 2010 OPS was higher than any Brave. And he’s a right handed hitter, which (other than Prado) the club sorely lacks. I think you can find a place for him in your lineup.
Now is the time I’d wish to have the DH in the NL if we got Uggla. Lol
I rather have Infante and Dunn. That trade would possibly be worse than the Teixeira trade.
LOL what? That’s completely lobsided in the OTHER direction. And losing Infante and Dunn is comparable to losing Neftali Feliz and Elvis Andrus? err okay?
Feliz is the only one that has proven anything out of the Teixeira trade. Andrus has proven nothing except that he can put up subpar numbers.
I tihnk its a steal for the Braves if this deal goes through…Infante isn’t a starter and Dunn isn’t even a set-up man if you ask me
Quite the contrary for me, I’d say that’s a steal. Infante is a career utility guy, even though he filled in well whenever called upon, and Dunn is a relief pitcher. Both of those kinds of guys are much easier to find than a 30-HR guy.
AGREED!
wrong…Infante isnt a starter and he’s under contract for one season. Dunn is a loogy. You’ll get a 3.8WAR player with 30/100 stats and two draft picks next offseason. Wren should jump on that offer
wrong…Infante is a super utility in his walk year and Dunn is a loogy. Uggla gives you a 3.8WAR player with 30/100 numbers, plus two draft picks next offseason. Wren better jump on that deal
You have got to be joking. Getting Dan Uggla for nothing but Mike Dunn and Omar Infante would be a HUGE win for the Braves. If the Braves could then extend Uggla the deal would be even sweeter.
Really…Infante and Dunn? Thats as lopsided as they get, but hey the Maybin trade didn’t make any sense to me either.
There is ZERO upside in an Infante-Dunn deal for the Marlins. Let’s see if they can make a terrible signing and awful trade in one day.
I am not huge on trading for Uggla….but if we are only giving up Dunn and Infante I don’t think I could pass up the opportunity. Pull the trigger Wren!
I hear you. That’s a steal for the Braves. Sure Infante and Dunn had nice seasons but you know what Uggla brings to the table year in and year out.
So wait….they’ve traded a young OF for relievers, are about to sign a terrible catcher to a big money deal, and now they’re going to trade an all star 2B for a LOOGY and a backup IF…
Why didn’t anyone tell me the Marlins hired Omar Minaya as their new GM??
Financially it makes sense, infante is likely to become a type A if he performs well enough next year, so essentially they’d be saving money and keeping the same (similar enough anyway) picks. that and mike dunn lol.
I hope the Braves get Uggla. I don’t want the Jays to touch this guy.
Jaysssss stop slacking. Get a damn deal done!
Infante and Dunn? Seriously? No chance that’s it to the package. Are they trading for Dan Uggla or Daniel Cabrera?
I like it if we can sign Uggs to an extension.